update: after attending a two week "boot camp" to condition me for the rigors of the electrical field, i went to work construction. i learn new things everyday and the stories of my everyday life are never ending. it's time to end my procrastination and flood your email inbox with my wordy diatribe.
boot camp.
this intense two week class sought to prep a group of green soon-to-be apprentices to start work. we skimmed over the basics of electricity (watched a archaic "how electricity works" video), read the code book (a real snorer), wired circuits in a booth with a sample wood framed wall, and bent conduit (with our bare hands...grrrrrrrrr....and a bender). we got licensed to drive a fork lift, scissor lift and 60' boom lift. with every task we did we were evaluated to determine if we could hack it on the job. in other words our teacher had the discretion of excusing anyone who wasn't good enough. as if going through a year long process of applying, taking a test, interviewing, reapplying and re-interviewing wasn't enough, i had to quit my job and perform well in a class for two weeks without pay to prove i was capable to go to work in the electrical field. it makes sense in a crazy way, but it adds a level of intensity to the group that is almost unbearable. for the first four days, no one in my group said a word or cracked as much as a smile. we were sweating it. then it occurred to me, that we were the creme de la creme. the top dogs. we were the top 15 people on a list of 360 people who interviewed. i had faith that, unless someone couldn't use a wrench (got that skill down), didn't do their homework (a personal problem) or didn't show up for class on time (another personal problem) then there are no worries. i wouldn't say my classmates ever truly relaxed, but i wasn't worried. at the end of two weeks no one was dismissed and we received a job assignment and hung out at the union hall with the union organizers. they bought us pizza and we talked union talk.
our teacher in boot camp had a dry sense of humor and years of stories to tell. he constantly talked about the lack of common sense in new apprentices these days. "how am i supposed to teach you that? you should learn that stuff before you get here." for our labs he bought light sockets with 6" wires hanging out the back (also called a pigtail) so we could easily connect and disconnect the light for each lab. "some bozo cut the pigtail. i went to the trouble of getting the more expensive light sockets to save time and some stupid kid cuts the most important part off. that is lack of common sense. i should have failed him in boot camp....ugh." before moving to the training center our teacher was an organizer for 12 years. he had worked as an electrician for almost 20 years before that. one of the most interesting conversations i had with him one on one was about his organizing experience. i wasn't an organizer for nearly as long as him (god, 12 years...i can't even imagine) but both of our organizing careers ended in union politics and posturing. i felt for him. i gave him my short explanation how my time came to an end, "I was laid off with a gag order," and he read between the lines and felt my pain and frustration. i don't meet people often who can read between the lines of my stock response. it's comforting.
my first job.
i am working construction. get down and dirty, physically challenging, skilled construction. for now i am commuting to a job renovating a space for a new top-notch solar panel facility in hillsboro, or (about 21 miles from my house). driving is a portion my job that i am least jazzed about. my commute can by anywhere from half and hour to and hour and a half. my little subaru wagon is making the long haul every day like a champ, but i worry how long that will last. maybe i should start performing a ritual to appease the gas-guzzling car gods. what kind of sacrifice does that require? does anyone know of a patron saint of driving or cars? i need one seeing as i am a poor, poor apprentice and I won't be making good money for at least a year. pray for that subaru.
every day at work is different. normally, a first term (out of ten terms) apprentice such as myself would be doing deliveries, organizing material, and cleaning up after journeymen electricians. the crew i'm with is small, so i am fortunate enough to be needed more for labor than for organizing supplies and pushing a broom. i am immensely grateful. the company i work for has developed a mentor program and assigns each new apprentice to a specific journeyman who can show the apprentice the ropes. i know it seems as if that would be normal, but the reality is much different. i get the impression that you typically learn stuff from every journeyman who work with. i jumped right in. the first space i worked in was the subfloor of the plant. it's where all the pipes and mechanical systems run. the space height fluctuates between 5' and 6'. then add in pipes, cable trays (like riverways for wire), lights, and all the support coming from every surface to support it all. it's like the pipes screensaver and i have to move through it to pull wire. it's like yoga meets twister meets limbo. it's also like caving. climb/crawl/squeeze through that space. position yourself in a weird position for hours to help pull the cable through.
i immediately needed good knee pads. my body is taking a beating. in my first week i amassed more bruises than i have in the last year (as most of you know, i bruise exceptionally easy (anyone remember my bike "wreck" of 2005 - gnarly!). one night i lay in bed and counted them: 70. crawling around in not-so-smooth carhartts has also caused me to develop calluses on my knees. i am not super thrilled with the idea of losing my smooth lady knees, but it beats chaffed tender knees. turning a screwdiver a million times = popeye forearms. i am also in the process if developing good hand muscles. this will be good for my bowling game and my thumb wrestling career. job skills can definitely translate into my hobbies.
start time, breaks, lunch, and quitting time are strict. i follow the journeymen's lead on everything, but there is never a worry that we are going to miss our breaks because they are on top of it. the plan is to be in your car and driving out of the parking lot at 3:30pm. no later. it's 12. stop what you are doing and eat. in response to working hard and strict timing of breaks, my body is becoming fine tuned like a clock. gggrrrrroooowwwllll. it's 9 o'clock. time for break. gggrrrrroooowwwllll. it's noon. time for lunch. gggrrrrroooowwwllll. it's 3:30. time to go home and eat some more. I think sometimes my day revolves more around food than anything else. i wake up, make coffee and breakfast, and pack a lunchbox with two snacks and a lunch. along with the ice pack, the thing weighs about 10lbs. i feel like i'm constantly cooking breakfast and meals for lunch and dinner. i envy the old men i work with who's wives/girlfriends pack their lunch. man oh man, why won't my dog get up early and make me a sandwich? there are some men who obviously don't have it so good. they are the ones who either don't eat at all during lunch (i can't even imagine this. my stomach would revolt) or nuke two hamburger patties in a tupperware. "do you have buns for those (thinking that's a new idea)?" "nope." "ketchup?" "nope." "oh." i have upped my food intake considerably starting my job. i think i'm eating well-balanced meals. i'm changing the way i prepare my meals so i can eat them on a jobsite with or without a microwave. i hope my food routine will become easier and more natural (ie. i hope i will become less obsessed with my daily intake of food).
more to come.....
ps. i love my job!
